KZ Tandingan sings Disney’s first Filipino-language song for ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’

FILIPINA singer KZ Tandingan will sing Disney’s first Filipino song for its upcoming animated film “Raya and the Last Dragon.”

Tandingan — dubbed “Asia’s Soul Supreme” — will be “lending her voice” for “Gabay,” which was described as a song about trust, strength, and unity, Disney Philippines revealed on Tuesday, March 2.

“Asia’s Soul Supreme KZ Tandingan will be lending her remarkable voice to an all-new song titled ‘Gabay’ from Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. This first-ever Filipino-language track from Disney will be coming your way very soon. Abangan!” it said in a tweet.

Disney Philippines on Monday announced that “Raya and the Last Dragon” will feature its first Filipino-language song, attaching a teaser photo of the mysterious Filipina singer.

“The first Filipino-language song from Disney, sung by one of the Philippines’ most powerful voices. Find out who she is tomorrow,” Disney Philippines said Monday across social media platforms.

Tandingan, for her part, said she was “very grateful” to sing the first-ever Disney track in Filipino for an international animated film.

“I am very grateful and I feel very proud to be singing in my language, and show off its beauty to the rest of the world. I am proud to be part of history,” she said in a statement sent to Philstar.com.

“I grew up watching Disney movies. Finally, there is a Disney Princess who I can feel a very strong connection to, and that is Raya as the first one inspired by Southeast Asia,” she added.

Set in the fantasy world of Kumandra, where long ago humans and dragons lived together in harmony, “Raya and the Last Dragon” — directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada — tells the story of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran), who embarks on an adventure to track down the legendary last dragon, Sisu (Awkwafina), to restore the fractured land and unite its divided people.

Other cast members include Daniel Dae Kim as Raya’s father Benja; Gemma Chan who plays Raya’s nemesis Namaari; and Sandra Oh as Virana, Namaari’s mother.

“‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is inspired by various Southeast Asian cultures and, as such, we found it fitting to launch ‘Gabay’ as a way for us to celebrate the film and connect with our Filipino fans,” said Allie Benedicto, studio marketing head of Disney Philippines.

“‘Gabay,’ the first-ever Disney track sung in Filipino, demonstrates our commitment to work with local creative talents to tell our stories in a locally relevant manner,” she added.

“Gabay” is set to drop on Spotify on Friday, March 5.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” will be released in theaters and on Disney+ with Premiere Access for an additional $29.99 fee on March 5 as well.